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I want to start this week’s update by thanking everyone for doing their part to keep our community safe during last weekend’s storm. Carlsbad got off pretty easy all things considered, although we did have several neighborhoods lose power, 17 downed trees and some temporary flooding. More on that plus these stories in today’s update:

• Traffic emergency one year later
• State of the City highlights city goals
• AEDs at city parks
• Give us feedback on TGIF concert season
• Library Learning Center turns 15
• Free library app for books and magazines
• Movie in the moonlight at Leo Carrillo Ranch 
• I-5 ramp closures this weekend
• Upcoming meetings
• Carlsbad golfer goes international

Tropical Storm Hilary passes through Carlsbad

Hilary’s journey north through San Diego County kept city staff busy last weekend. Unlike a wildfire which comes on quickly, hazardous weather often gives us plenty of warning.

• Starting on Friday city crews cleared low lying areas, checked to make sure drains were unobstructed and pre-positioned pumps at locations prone to flooding.
• We also asked residents to get prepared by removing items from around their homes that could cause damage in heavy winds, prepare for power outages and get errands done by Saturday evening. 

Thank you to all who helped keep our roads clear so our first responders could remove fallen trees and other debris.

I also want to thank everyone for heeding our warning, “turn around, don’t drown.”

Unlike during the heavy storms earlier this year, we had zero calls in Carlsbad for our swift water rescue team last weekend.

Some of you might have received an earthquake warning over the weekend. Luckily, it was far north of here. If you want to be notified of earthquakes in the future, you can download the My Shake app.

If you haven’t already, I recommend you also download the County of San Diego’s emergency app and register your cell phone and email with Alert San Diego. That way, you will be even more prepared for the next potential emergency.

Traffic emergency one year later

This week marks the one-year anniversary of our local traffic safety emergency. We will have an official report on what’s been accomplished, using a year’s worth of data, at a City Council meeting in October. And, barring any significant changes, the emergency is set to end on Sept. 8.

To be clear, even when the local emergency proclamation expires, traffic safety will still be a top priority in Carlsbad.

• The emergency proclamation has allowed us to focus increased resources and attention on the three Es of traffic safety, education, engineering and enforcement, using the framework of the Safer Streets Together Plan.
• The City Council approved this plan less than 30 days after ratifying the local emergency.
• The plan calls for immediate, short-term, mid-term and long-term actions.
• The immediate and short-term actions have been mostly completed, and many of the longer-term actions are underway.
• The City Council allocated $2 million in emergency funding for these actions, and we still have about a third of that funding remaining to continue with these efforts.

Sept. 8 comes after two important milestones – back to school and Labor Day weekend. Both of these are times when our streets are busier, often leading to more collisions. Please help, especially during these busy times, by taking common sense steps to improve safety:

• Eliminate distractions and put your phone away.
• Allow extra time to get where you need to go.
• Slow down and watch your speed. Speeding makes it easier to lose control of your vehicle, increases its stopping distance and can cause more severe crashes.
• Look out for and yield to pedestrians.

If you have a young bike or e-bike rider at home, join the Carlsbad Police Department for an upcoming safety class to help middle and high school students learn the rules of the road.

Here’s how to attend a class on Aug. 26 or Sept. 9

Get more tips at carlsbadca.gov/saferstreets. 

State of the City focuses on community priorities

As promised, I am sharing a link to this year’s State of the City video, which tells the story of our first 5-Year Strategic Plan. Segments highlight the main goals of the plan in the areas of:

• Community character
• Quality of life and safety
• Sustainability and the natural environment
• Economic vitality
• Organizational excellence

The video also features several local residents and businesses, providing some real-life examples of our plan in action.

If you have cable, you can also watch the video on the city channel at the top of every hour, unless there’s a public meeting airing. Didn’t know we have a cable station? We do! It’s channel 24 on Spectrum. For AT&T U-verse, go to channel 99 and then follow the guide to find us. 

AEDs allow quicker response times for heart emergencies

When someone is experiencing cardiac arrest, seconds count. That’s why I am pleased to let you that we now have a way to let community members access automated external defibrillators at several of our city parks.

The AEDs are stored in electronic yellow lockboxes like the ones you see below. Here’s how it will work:

• If you are with someone who becomes unconscious and stops breathing, immediately call 9-1-1 and start CPR.
• The dispatcher will know if there is an AED nearby and can provide a digital code to unlock it, if there is someone available to go get it while you continue with CPR.

Christina Gilmore, a nurse who works for our Fire Department, says AEDs are designed for easy use by people with no experience. Once someone turns on the machine, a recorded voice will provide instructions for every step.

Again, always follow the instructions of the dispatcher and first responders. But if you are in a situation where an AED is recommended, getting access before emergency medical personnel arrive could make the difference between life and death.

The AEDs are ready to go at the following locations:

• Chase Field
• Alga Norte Community Park
• Stagecoach Community Park
• Aviara Community Park
• Poinsettia Community Park

They will be installed soon at:



• Alga Norte Community Park
• Calavera Hills Community Park baseball field concessions building (planned)

Give us feedback on TGIF season

Our popular TGIF Concerts in the Parks just ended its 2023 season. We’d appreciate your feedback as we explore options for 2024.

We will provide your input to the City Council along with a report toward the end of this year. The survey will be open through Sept. 12, and we’d like your input even if you didn’t make it to any of this year’s events. 

Thanks!

Library Learning Center turns 15

They grow up so fast! The Carlsbad City Library Learning Center is celebrating 15 years of service to the community with an open house on Saturday, Aug. 26. Please join us for live music, food, tours and family-friendly activities.

Saturday, Aug. 26

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Library Learning Center

3368 Eureka Place, Carlsbad

What’s a learning center?

The Learning Center is a full-service library that also provides bilingual and literacy services.

• You may take it for granted that people in Carlsbad can read, but not everyone can, or at least not fluently enough to succeed in their jobs. 
• The library program provides one-on-one tutoring to English-speaking adults who want to improve their basic reading and writing skills.
• All services are free and confidential.

If you know someone who could benefit from better reading and writing skills, please pass along this information:

442-339-2878 

literacy@carlsbadca.gov

The learning center is located across the street from Holiday Park, just off I-5 in northern Carlsbad.

This Saturday’s celebration includes:

• Reading to therapy dogs with Love on a Leash from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Bilingual story time from 11 to 11:30 a.m. in the first floor storytime room
• Live music by LuMaya starting at noon
• A new family literacy program, Words & Music at 1 p.m. 
• Genealogy demonstrations

Free library app for books and magazines

Speaking of literacy, one of the best ways our library encourages a love of reading is by making it easy to access great reading and resource materials.

At this week’s City Council meeting, library staff provided a demonstration on how to use an app that puts thousands of e-books, audiobooks and e-magazines at your fingertips.

Watch this video to see how it works:

The app gives library users instant access to a huge treasure trove of materials – including the latest best-sellers, literary classics, award-winning nonfiction, and more – available through our collaboration with the Serra Digital Download Library.

• 20,414 eBooks
• 11,855 Audiobooks
• 4,656 eMagazines 

Libby works just like a regular library, in that you use your Carlsbad City Library card to check out materials. Once you check something out, you can access it 24/7 from any device – mobile phones, tablets, desktop computers and eReaders – until it’s time to digitally return.

To get started Download Libby or open libbyapp.com on your browser.

Movie in the moonlight at Leo Carrillo Ranch

Now that our regular summer weather has returned, it’s the perfect time to enjoy a movie under the stars at the annual Leo Carrillo Ranch Film Festival. 

Bring a low-back chair, blanket and a flashlight and enjoy an evening of nostalgic entertainment watching rare films featuring Carrillo as you relax at his former ranch. 

Leo Carrillo Ranch Film Festival

Before Morning (1933) is a Hollywood drama filled with scandal and intrigue, starring Carrillo, Lora Baxter and Taylor Holmes.

Friday, Aug. 25

6 p.m.

Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park

6200 Flying Leo Carrillo Lane

The event is free, but we ask that you sign up so we know how many to expect.

I-5 ramp closures this weekend

We are expecting some on-ramp closures this weekend in north Carlsbad while improvements are made as part of the North Coast Corridor Project. Please avoid the area during the times listed and watch for workers if you do need to travel here while work is being done. This is a key transition spot to the 78, and I am looking forward to seeing the finished product.

You can learn more on the Build NCC website.

Get involved: Upcoming meetings

The next City Council meeting will take place Tuesday, Aug. 29, starting at 5 p.m. in the City Council Chamber. The topics to be considered include:

• The contract for the second phase of the city’s program to replace Carlsbad’s streetlights with more energy efficient LED lights
• An agreement with a Native American tribe to handle and protect any Native American cultural resources that might be uncovered during construction of a recycled water reservoir, and authorizing staff to approve similar agreements for future projects
• Updating the Carlsbad Municipal Code to make sections on commissions consistent and to rename the commission handling traffic the Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission
• Lowering the speed limit on southbound Carlsbad Boulevard between Manzano Drive and Island Way from 50 mph to 45 mph, following changes to the road that have caused drivers to slow down
• Objective design standards for multifamily housing and mixed-use developments that will enable the city to influence what these projects look like while complying with new housing laws
• The plan for future internal audits and the result of the city’s latest audits, which looked at the implementation of a new internal hotline to report fraud, the collection of tax for overnight stays in hotels and short-term vacation rentals, and use of a Police Department fund
• Potential change to presenting city proclamations once a month at a special ceremony instead of at the beginning of City Council meetings

A link to the full agenda and staff reports is available on the city’s website. You can watch the meeting live on the website or on the city’s cable TV channel.

There are no other city meetings planned for next week.

Carlsbad golfer goes international

Before I sign off, I wanted to share news of yet another Carlsbad athlete getting recognized well beyond our city. 

Our very own Dylan Menante, a Sage Creek High School graduate, has been selected to play for Team USA in the prestigious Walker Cup Match against Great Britain and Ireland, Sept. 2-3 in St. Andrews, Scotland.

This 22-year-old local athlete is used to accolades. He’s the first University of North Carolina player to finish in the top 10 in both an NCAA regional and the NCAA Championship in the same season.

Congratulations to Dylan on this latest honor.

And to all our community, thank you again for weathering the storm together this week and let’s continue to look out for each other on the roads – rain, wind or shine.

Scott Chadwick

City Manager